BR112021000838A2 - EVALUATION OF CEMENT THROUGH PIPING WITH THE USE OF SEISMIC METHODS - Google Patents

Abstract

"assessment of cement through the pipeline using seismic methods". these are methods and devices for assessing soil formation intersected by a well. the methods include estimating a cement property that surrounds a tubular in the formation of soil by means of: generating an acoustic signal with a profiling tool in the well; estimation of the property in dependence on a late reflected wave field of a modified response acoustic signal, with the modified response acoustic signal being produced by the suppression of a component in a direct way.

Description

"EVALUATION OF CEMENT THROUGH PIPING WITH THE USE OF SEISMIC METHODS" FIELD OF REVELATION

[0001] The present disclosure refers, in general, to well tools and, in particular, to methods and apparatus for conducting well profiling.

BACKGROUND OF THE REVELATION

[0002] Drilling wells for various purposes is well known. Such wells can be drilled for geothermal purposes, to produce hydrocarbons (for example, oil and gas), to produce water, and so on. The depth of a well can range from a few thousand feet to 25,000 feet or more. In hydrocarbon wells, downhole tools often incorporate various sensors, instruments and control devices to perform any number of downhole operations. Thus, the tools can include sensors and / or electronic circuits to evaluate the formation, monitoring and control of the tool itself, and so on.

[0003] The development of training to extract hydrocarbons may include the installation of piping (also called tubular or tubular members), such as production piping or steel tube known as casing, inside a well, including the application of cement in the annular region between the well and the liner. Acoustic inspection of a cemented liner in a well is known to determine specific properties related to the liner and surrounding materials. For example, the adhesion of the cement to the coating can be assessed, or the strength of the cement behind the coating or the thickness of the coating can be estimated, using reflected acoustic wave measurements. This can be generically called profiling of cement adhesion to the coating, which can be achieved with the use of a cement adhesion profiling tool to the coating carried through the formation along the inside of the coating while making measurements. In other examples of cement adhesion profiling, a guided circumferential wave can be used to evaluate the properties related to the coating. For example, measurements of the attenuation of the Lamb and shear waves can be used to determine the properties of the cement.

SUMMARY OF THE REVELATION

[0004] In aspects, the present disclosure is related to methods and devices to evaluate a formation of soil intersected by a well. The methods include estimating a cement property that surrounds a tubular in the formation of soil by means of: generating an acoustic signal with a profiling tool in the well; estimation of the property in dependence on a late reflected wave field of a modified response acoustic signal, with the modified response acoustic signal produced by directly suppressing a component.

[0005] The methods may include receiving an acoustic response signal indicating the property; and generating the signal by adjusting the acoustic response signal using seismic processing to directly suppress the component. The generation of the acoustic signal may include the generation of an acoustic signal centered on the cement through the generation of waveforms configured to directly suppress the component in a resulting modified response acoustic signal. The generation of the acoustic signal can include the estimation of an ideal value for at least one excitation parameter so that an acoustic excitation source produces a guided wave of multiple modes mixed in a tubular. The generation of the acoustic signal may include focusing the acoustic signal on the cement. The generation of the acoustic signal may include the generation of an acoustic beam with multiple tones. The tubular can be one of a plurality of nested tubulars. The plurality may include a second tubular closer to a tool in the well that generates the acoustic signal than to the tubular.

[0006] The methods described above implicitly use at least one processor. Some modalities include a non-transitory, computer-readable media product that is accessible to the processor and has instructions on it that, when executed, cause at least one processor to perform the methods described above. The apparatus modalities may include, in addition to specialized measuring equipment and well transport apparatus, at least one processor and a computer memory accessible to at least one processor, which comprises computer-readable media containing instructions which, when executed , cause at least one processor to perform the methods described above.

[0007] Examples of some features of the disclosure can be summarized here reasonably broadly so that the detailed description of them below can be better understood and so that the contributions they represent to the technique can be recognized.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] For a detailed understanding of the present disclosure, reference should be made to the following detailed description of the modalities, taken in conjunction with the attached drawings, in which similar elements received similar numerals, in which:

[0009] Figure 1 illustrates an acoustic profiling tool according to the modalities of the present disclosure.

[0010] Figure 2 shows a schematic axial view that illustrates the evaluation of cement through the pipe according to the modalities of the present disclosure.

[0011] Figure 3A is a schematic side view that illustrates a tool according to the modalities of the present disclosure.

[0012] Figure 3B shows a tool according to the modalities of the present disclosure implemented with an array of integrated multi-element transmitters.

[0013] Figure 4A illustrates a profiling tool according to the modalities of the present disclosure.

[0014] Figure 4B illustrates another profiling tool according to the modalities of the present disclosure.

[0015] Figure 5 shows a flowchart that illustrates methods for inspecting an oilfield infrastructure component in accordance with the modalities of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0016] Aspects of the present disclosure refer to devices and methods for profiling wells, including the measurement and interpretation of physical phenomena indicative of parameters of interest related to the installation of tubulars in the formation (for example, properties of the cement that connects the coating training). The embodiments described here are particularly suitable for multiple nested tubulars, such as, for example, tubulars of different diameters that are concentric with each other. The procedures described here are particularly suitable for inspecting the profiling of cement adhesion.

[0017] The generation of acoustic signals and the detection of reflections of these signals for a single tubular are well known, and these reflections can be conventionally processed to estimate the thickness of the cement, the quality of the cement adhesion, and so on. The evaluation of the cement can be performed based on the use of a decrease in the amplitude of the detected signal to evaluate the thickness of the coating, density of the cement and integrity of the adhesion.

[0018] Electromagnetic acoustic transducers (EMATs, Electromagnetic-acoustic transducers) are used in non-destructive tests, including in the well, with the use of well-understood physical phenomena. In a type of EMAT, when a wire is placed close to the surface of an electrically conductive object and is driven by a current at an appropriate ultrasonic frequency, eddy currents are induced in a surface region close to the object. If a static magnetic field is also present, eddy currents experience Lorentz forces. These forces cause an acoustic excitation in the object. In reciprocal use, an electrical signal will be generated on the wire as a result of the acoustic excitation on a metal placed next to a permanent magnet. The attenuation and / or reflection of the acoustic waves shows information about the defects and surroundings of the object. See, for example, US patent application No. 15 / 288,092 by Kouchmeshky et al, which is common property and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0019] The cement bond logging ("CBL") by guided wave attenuation measures the wave attenuation along a circumferential direction of the coating. Multiple transmitters and receivers can be placed inside the casing for compensated attenuation measurements. See, for example, US patent No. 7,660,197 to Barolak et al., And US patent No. RE43,960 to Barolak et al., Incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. The mechanical properties (eg Young's modulus, shear modulus) of the cement layer behind the coating determine the attenuation of the waves. An EMAT can be designed to produce a single waveform, such as horizontal shear waves (SH, horizontal shear) or Lamb waves.

[0020] The evaluation of cement in more than a single coating, however, becomes problematic to the point of being impractical. The present disclosure uses seismic methods to conduct the assessment of cement adhesion by suppressing direct modes and observing the late reflected wave field. Suppression can be achieved with the use of one or more transmitters together with multiple receivers to suppress piping excitation and focus on the cement response. Additional transmitters can be used to direct beam of acoustic energy to suppress direct modes. Compression and shear sources could be used. Both the source and the receiver (or receivers) could be implemented as an EMAT, acoustic fluid coupled sensors, conventional transducers, and so on. An EMAT can offer improvement by moving the source / receiver point to the pipe or first liner.

[0021] Various acoustic methodologies can be employed to transmit and receive acoustic signals, including guided wave, tandem operation (pitch-catch), echo impulse, and so on. Beam formation and other techniques can be used to focus the acoustic interaction on the cement. Various techniques for signal augmentation can also be leveraged, including double resonance waves, mixing wave modes, estimating non-linear differences in the signal and the like.

[0022] Methods include carrying out the assessment of cement adhesion on cement outside a second column (eg, steel liner) behind (eg, outside) a first column (eg, pipe). The volume between the first and second columns can be filled with fluid, which has relatively low impedance. This low impedance span makes it difficult to recover sufficient signals to estimate the properties of the cement. The methods can employ a matrix of transmitter and receiver locations to suppress the first column interference and allow analysis of the resonance of the second coating column.

[0023] Additionally, filtering, modeling and processing can be used to generate a modified acoustic signal to directly suppress the component in a resulting modified response acoustic signal. For example, amplitude versus displacement (AVO) analysis can be used. Source-based, receiver-based and processing mitigation, as described here, can be used individually for simplified or economical applications or combined for greater effect.

[0024] Aspects of the disclosure may include estimating a cement property that surrounds a tubular in a soil formation. Property estimation can be performed by means of: generating an acoustic signal with a profiling tool in the well, and estimating the property depending on a late reflected wave field of a modified response acoustic signal, the acoustic signal being modified response is produced by directly suppressing a component. The generation of the acoustic signal may include the generation of an acoustic signal centered on the cement through the generation of waveforms configured to directly suppress the component in a resulting modified response acoustic signal.

[0025] Recently, techniques have been developed for the use of shear propagation waves for fracture imaging and features outside the region close to the well (for example, deep shear wave imaging). A "propagation wave", as used here, refers to a wave that propagates through a medium rather than over an interface. These shear propagation waves can be created by a multipole acoustic tool and are useful in distant field imaging. A region around a well can be described as including a near-field region and a distant field region. A near-field region includes the surface of a well and can extend laterally to the formation. The distant field region can extend to tens of meters from the well hole. Deep shear wave imaging (DWSI) signals can be propagated to the distant field region.

[0026] Aspects of the present disclosure refer to the use of at least one acoustic sensor as part of one or more downhole acoustic profiling tools or distributed sensor systems to produce acoustic information responsive to an acoustic wave from the formation of ground. The sensor may include at least one acoustic transmitter configured and at least one acoustic receiver arranged in a vehicle in the pit, and configured to implement techniques of the present disclosure, as described in more detail below. A receiver and a transmitter can be implemented as the same transducer, different transducers, or one or more arrays of transducers. The transducers can be selected from the group consisting of: (i) electromagnetic acoustic transducers ("EMATS"), piezoelectric transducers (ii) and wedge transducers (iii). The information is indicative of a parameter of interest. The term "information", as used here, includes any form of information (analog, digital, EM, printed, etc.), and can include one or more of: raw data, processed data and signals.

[0027] Figure 1 illustrates an acoustic profiling tool according to the modalities of the present disclosure. The tool 110 is configured to be transported in a well that intersects a formation 180. The wall of the well 140 is aligned with the liner 130 filled with a downhole fluid 160, such as, for example, drilling fluid. Cement 120 fills the annular region between the well wall 140 and the casing 130. In an illustrative embodiment, the tool 110 may contain a sensor unit 150, comprising transmitters and receivers, which may include, for example, one or more EMATS, including a magnet array and at least one sensor coil (or other acoustic transducers), and is configured to assess the adherence of the cement between the coating system 130, the well wall 140 and the cement 120 according to known techniques. The sensor unit 150 may include electronic circuits configured to record and / or process the information obtained, or those electronic circuits may be located elsewhere on the tool 110 or on the surface.

[0028] System 101 may include a conventional drilling tower 170. A transport device (conveyor 115), which may be rigid or non-rigid, may be configured to transport the downhole tool 110 in the nearby wellbore 140 to formation 180. Conveyor 115 can be a steel cable, a spiral pipe, a "slickline" cabling, an "e-line" cabling, a drill string, etc. The downhole tool 110 can be coupled or combined with additional tools. Therefore, depending on the configuration, the tool 110 can be used during drilling and / or after the borehole (well) 140 is formed. Although a terrestrial system is shown, the teachings of the present revelation can also be used in underwater or offshore applications. The conveyor 115 may include embedded conductors for energy and / or data for the supply of signals and / or energy communication between the surface and the downhole equipment. Vehicle 115 may include a pit interior assembly, which may include an engine for turning a drill bit.

[0029] Certain embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented with a hardware environment 21 that includes an information processor 17, an information storage medium 13, an input device 11,

a processor memory 9, and may include peripheral information storage media 19. The hardware environment may be in the well, probe, or at a remote location.

In addition, the various components of the hardware environment can be distributed among those locations.

Input device 11 can be any data reader or device for user input, such as data card reader, keyboard, USB port, etc.

The information storage media 13 stores information provided by the detectors.

Information storage media 13 can include any non-transitory computer-readable media for storing standard computer information, such as a USB drive, memory card, hard drive, removable RAM, EPROMs, EAROMs, flash memories, and optical discs or another commonly used memory storage system known to the person skilled in the art, including Internet-based storage.

The information storage medium 13 stores a program which, when executed, causes the information processor 17 to execute the disclosed method.

Information storage media 13 can also store training information provided by the user, or training information can be stored on peripheral information storage media 19, which can be any standard computer information storage device, such as a USB drive, memory card, hard drive, removable RAM, or other commonly used memory storage system known to the person skilled in the art, including Internet-based storage.

Information processor 17 can have any form of computer or mathematical processing hardware, including Internet-based hardware.

When the program is loaded from information storage media 13 into processor memory 9 (for example, computer RAM), the program, when executed, causes information processor 17 to retrieve detector information from the media information storage medium 13 or peripheral information storage medium 19 and process the information to estimate a parameter of interest. The information processor 17 can be located on the surface or inside a well.

[0030] Figure 2 shows a schematic axial view that illustrates the assessment of cement through the pipe according to the modalities of the present disclosure. Piping 208 is located in liner 204 and is filled with fluid 210. Fluid 212 fills the annular region 202 between tubing 208 and liner 204. Fluids 210 and 212 can be completion fluid, salt water and the like.

[0031] Figure 3A is a schematic side view illustrating a tool according to the modalities of the present disclosure. Tool 310 comprises a transmitter 302 and a matrix of receivers 304 comprising receivers R1, R2 ... Rn. Tubing 308 is located in liner 310 and is filled with fluid 303. Fluid 305 fills in annular region A between tubing 308 and liner 310. Fluids 303 and 305 can be completion fluid, salt water and the like. In some implementations, transmitter matrix 302 and receiver 304 comprise EMATs. The use of multiple receivers allows suppression of piping excitation and focusing on the coating response. If a solid is present in annular region A, a shear source can be used.

[0032] With reference to Figure 3B, tool 350 can be implemented with an array of integrated multi-element transmitters 352. Matrix 352 can be configured with elements 356a to 356f having an element width of 9.0 mm, cut from 1.0 mm, decentralization of 12.5 mm, operating at 100 kHz. Transducers can be implemented as multi-layer stacked transducers. For example, a four-layer stack filled with oil from piezoceramic transducers can be used for a single array transmitter. The stack may have an absorbent support and a corresponding layer that interfaces with a forward facing portion, which may, for example, be inconel or other corrosion resistant material. In one example, the transducer stack can be driven in the 20 to 500 kHz range.

[0033] The material on the front face of the transducer may have a slow compression speed, for example, close to that of the block material, if in a block cabinet. A low compression rate in the block and in the fluid (for example, slower than the shear rate of the formation) will excite the main waves of both compression and shear refraction. For acoustically slow formations (shear velocity less than fluid velocity), a main shear wave may not be excited, and only major compression waves can be measured with the refraction method.

[0034] The block material, if used as a transducer front window, may have a compression speed lower or close to the fluid speed in the well, or less than the shear speed in the formation. Different sections of the block can comprise different materials to correspond to the desired measurement. The block material can provide protection as well as acoustic correlation (for example, impedance and / or quarter wave correlation) for maximum signal output. The thickness of the block in close contact (or a fluid separating gap) can be selected to allow the ultrasonic beam to be fully developed to minimize near-field interference. Acoustic damping in the block material may also be desirable to reduce direct tool mode and well hole reflections. The use of reinforced plastic or rubber material can be implemented. Variable depth of focus can be used to focus on an annular region of cement to obtain ideal incident beams. The respective acoustic beams can have different firing frequencies to excite the main waves p and s of the formation for each different penetration depth. A side beam targeting sweep, or variable side targeting, over a range of incident angles can be used. When used in conjunction with receiver signal detection, echo delay and slow mode calculation, this technique can allow ideal incident angles for maximum main wave sensitivity for a given volume, for example, the annular region filled with cement.

[0035] In addition, filtering, modeling and processing of measurement data can be used to generate a modified acoustic signal to directly suppress the component in a resulting modified response acoustic signal. For example, amplitude versus displacement (AVO) analysis can be used. After separating a response related to each tubular, the response attributable to the cement's adherence to the external tubular can be determined and the properties estimated. In some cases, the close ("internal") response to the tubular can be modeled first and then canceled from the acoustic signal. The modeling of the response close to the tubular can be performed using a priori data or data from additional sensors, such as, for example, nuclear or electromagnetic sensors.

[0036] The modalities include performing an inversion of the coating survey data of multiple downhole liners and completion installation components based on three-dimensional measurements of sinusoidal waveform resistivity in the low frequency domain. colocalized frequencies and three-dimensional measurements of EM transients made with a multi-component induction tool. That is, a geometric structural description of the multiple liner and well liners (DI and DE of each liner liner; eccentricity of each liner; shape of each liner; defects; etc.) can be derived from the combination of EM measurement information in response to one or more pipe linings. Although the example of coating such as tubular is used, the application of the techniques described here is not so limited.

[0037] This geometric structural description can then be used to interpret data from other measurements made on the same volume of surrounding medium and depth location, and related to the same coating structures. The joint assessment can include processing of one-dimensional (1D), two-dimensional (2D) or three-dimensional (3D) images and / or their inversion based on a direct model, and so on, and can be supplemented with information obtained from other profiling measurements auxiliaries, such as, for example, the production of boundary conditions.

[0038] In one example, the interpretation is performed from the inside out, starting with the innermost tubular. An interpretation sequence may include interpretation of assessment measurements from a first (closest) tube based on magnetic flux measurements. The interpretation of the evaluation data of the first tubular can be used to assist in the evaluation of the second closest tubular, and so on with other tubulars in the sequence. Subsequently, domain measurements of the low frequency sinusoidal frequency can be performed for each subsequent tubular in order from the smallest diameter to the largest diameter, followed by transient measurement data.

[0039] The acquisition of the reflected late wave field can be performed by separation and migration of the wave field. In this way, signals from only the coating, or other reflectors, can be isolated. For example, as described above, acoustic data can be obtained using a plurality of acoustic sensors, each in one of a plurality of locations spaced in a well bore (for example, in a tool), responsive to the activation of a source. A spectrum of a wave field moving in a first direction can be obtained by separating the wave field from a second wave field moving in a second direction. The absorption can be modeled for the cement for at least one pair among the plurality of sensors, minimizing an objective function based on a relationship between the spectra of the sensors. See also, US Patent No. 6,930,616 to Tang et al., Hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

[0040] Other modalities may use analogs of complete waveform inversion to estimate the properties of adhesion. Full waveform inversion (FWI) is an acoustic data inversion method to infer soil subsurface properties that affect wave propagation. A direct modeling mechanism can use finite difference or other computational methods to model the propagation of acoustic waves through the coating and cement. The exact estimation of a source wavelet plays a crucial role in FWI. Geophysical applications for wavelet estimation have been studied extensively. The wavelet estimate can be performed using direct inputs or refracted waves, or conducted with multiple elimination related to the surface. See Wang, Geophysics, volume 72. No. 2 (March 2007), Verschuur et al., Geophysics, volume 57. No. 9 (September 1992).

[0041] Figure 4A illustrates a drilling tool according to the modalities of the present disclosure. Tool 430 can be connected to other downhole tools, above and / or below tool 430, such as drilling tools, stimulating tools, grinding tools, cylinders, and so on, as part of a tool set . Tool 430 can be configured for transport in the nested liner 434a and 434b and configured to detect infrastructure characteristics 433 external to liner 434a and 434b. Tool 430 includes an acoustic beam transducer assembly 432 rotated by a motor section 431. A 3D tool array of EM transients or multiple frequencies 434 can reside between centering arms

436. The centering arms can force a 437 sensor array block against the inner wall of the innermost liner. The sensor matrix block 437 can include a magnetic flow detector and / or an acoustic beam transducer mounted on the block, as described in more detail below.

[0042] Figure 4B illustrates another profiling tool according to the modalities of the present disclosure. The 474 profiling tool has several extensible blocks (for example, 4 to 6 blocks or more) that. Tool 300 can be arranged on support 471 intersecting the ground formation 473. Tool 474 can include a body (e.g., BHA, enclosure, casing, drill string, wire rope tool body) 476 that has 478 blocks extended over 477 extension devices. Two blocks are shown for illustration purposes and, in actual practice, there may be more or less blocks, such as two blocks, three blocks (for example, separated by about 120 degrees circumferentially) or six blocks ( for example, separated by about 60 degrees). The extension devices can be operated electrically, electromechanically, mechanically or hydraulically. With the extension devices fully extended, the blocks can engage the well bore 480 and perform measurements indicative of at least one parameter of interest in the formation of soil or well infrastructure (for example, lining). Such devices are well known in the art. See, for example, US patent no.

7,228,903 by Wang et al., And US patent application serial number 15/291/797, hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

[0043] Alternatively or additionally, the generation of acoustic signals can be performed by exciting mixed wave modes in the tubular. The multimodal nature of these guided waves results in different modes that have different wave speeds, attenuations and amplitudes. If multiple modes are mixed together, the attenuation measurements can have very large errors. Typically, the attenuation response of a guided wave is derived from dispersion ratios using a single frequency. However, this approach does not consider the source's excitation effect. The attenuation in the frequency domain can be very different from measurements of attenuation of waveforms in the time domain.

[0044] Due to the multimodal nature of guided waves, the optimization of excitation for a target volume (for example, the annular cement region) is highly beneficial. Aspects of the present disclosure may include estimating an ideal value for at least one excitation parameter so that an acoustic excitation source produces a multi-mode guided wave mixed in the tubular. See patent application serial number 15 / 809,779 "Guided Wave Attenuation Well Logging Excitation Optimizer Based on Waveform Modeling" by Yao et al., Hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Guided wave attenuation responses determined directly from the modeling waveforms with the influence of the excitation source are used to estimate the properties of the cement.

[0045] Yao reveals well profiling systems, devices, products and methods with the use of a well profiling tool in a soil formation. The volume can include at least one tubular, and the property can include the relationship of multiple tubulars to each other, the relationship of a tubular (e.g.,

coating) with another component, properties of bonding materials, adhesives, treatments, fluids and the formation around the coating, and so on. The aspects of the disclosure can be useful for the excitation of guided wave modes in tubulars as part of any technique described herein.

[0046] The term "information", for use in the present invention, includes any form of information (analog, digital, EM, printed, etc.). For use in the present invention, a processor is any information processing device that transmits, receives, manipulates, converts, calculates, modulates, transposes, loads, stores or otherwise uses information. In several non-limiting aspects of disclosure, an information processing device includes a computer that executes programmed instructions to perform various methods. These instructions can provide equipment operation, control, data collection and analysis and other functions in addition to the functions described here. The processor can execute instructions stored in computer memory accessible to the processor, or it can employ logic implemented as a field programmable port array (FPGAs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), other combinatorial or sequential logic hardware, and so on.

[0047] In one embodiment, the electronic circuits associated with the transducers can be configured to obtain measurements as the tool moves along the longitudinal geometric axis of the well ("axially") using the sensor 150. These measurements can be substantially continuous, which can be defined as being repeated in very small increments of depth, so that the resulting information has sufficient resolution and scope to provide an image of tubular parameters (for example, properties of the tubular or supporting infrastructure) ).

[0048] In other modalities, all or a portion of the electronic circuits may be located in another location (for example, on the surface, or remotely). To perform the treatments during a single trip, the tool can use a high bandwidth transmission to transmit the information acquired by the sensor 150 to the surface for analysis. For example, a communication line to transmit the acquired information can be an optical fiber, a metal conductor or any other suitable signal conduction means. It should be noted that the use of a "high bandwidth" communication line can allow surface personnel to monitor and control operations "almost in real time".

[0049] An innovative point of the system illustrated above is that at least one processor can be configured to execute certain methods (discussed below) that are not contemplated in the prior art. A surface control system and / or downhole control system can be configured to control the tool described above and any built-in sensors, and to estimate a parameter of interest according to the methods described here.

[0050] In some general modalities, at least one processor of the system (for example, one or more of any of a processor on the surface, a processor at the bottom of the shaft or a remote processor) can be configured to use acoustic monopole transmitters and / or multipole (eg dipole) to emit pulses of acoustic energy that generally travel radially outward from the transmitters and use at least one acoustic receiver to produce a corresponding signal, responsive to a reflection of an emitted wave. At least one of the processors can also be configured to evaluate the cement surrounding the tubular from the information corresponding to that signal. In operation, a portion of waves generated by the transmitter reflects from the cement causing a response in the receiver. The waves generated by the transmitter are specifically configured to interact with the cement, so that the interaction has characteristics that produce a viable signal at the receiver. In this way, each receiver produces an indicative response from the cement. For example, the frequency can be specifically chosen for the desired response.

[0051] For dipole configurations, a tool processor directs one or more dipole sources to transmit energy to the well and the formation. For example, the dipole source can transmit in an "x" direction extending in the opposite direction to the well, which is typically perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal geometric axis of the well and the tool (the "zZ" direction). Flexural waves are generated that typically can reflect and provide readings of up to about 2 to 4 feet radially in the formation (near field region). The maximum possible distance can be called the near field zone. Propagation waves, which can be reflected back to the well, can be detected as delayed and weak signals in relation to reflected flexural wave signals. The region around the well can be divided into a near field region that extends laterally (for example, perpendicular to the geometric axis of the well) up to a first distance from the well and a distant field region that extends laterally from the first distance to a second distance. The near-field region, as defined here, can mean from the well to the most distant distance that the flexural waves can extend and return detectable reflected signals.

[0052] The source can comprise a dipole source that generates two different types of shear propagation waves in the formation: a vertical shear wave (SV) aligned with the dipole source and polarized in the "x" direction and a horizontal shear wave (SH) polarized in the "y" direction. The dipole source can operate at a frequency of 2 to 3 kHz. In modalities, the source generates shear propagation waves that radiate towards the formation in the cement and are reflected by an outline between the cement and the tubular or the cement and the formation. The processing technique includes a direct wave mode that needs to be suppressed.

[0053] The above processing techniques can be used in conjunction with other techniques for acoustic evaluation, such as ultrasonic imaging, Stoneley analysis and cross dipole azimuth shear wave evaluation, which typically investigate a limited area around a well, for example, 2 to 4 feet. Ultrasonic acoustic tools provide better resolution due to their high directivity.

[0054] Unfortunately, at ultrasonic frequencies, acoustic signals cannot penetrate under the skin of the innermost tubular, partly due to the lower resonance frequency of the acoustic system represented by the installation of multiple liners. Modalities can also excite an acoustic wave that approaches the resonances of different layers of coating and cement, which improves the penetration of waves.

[0055] Acoustic measurements of well profiling can be performed by generating a rotating acoustic beam with multiple tones from at least one transmitter in the tool, in which the beam comprises a high frequency signal modulated by a low envelope. frequency, the high frequency signal including a first sub-signal at a first frequency and a second sub-signal at a second frequency; and generating measurement information on at least one acoustic receiver in the profiling tool in response to a plurality of acoustic reflections from the acoustic beam from at least one volume of cement in the formation. An acoustic beam can be defined as a limited opening acoustic emission. The volume property is estimated from the measurement information.

[0056] The beam can be rotated, for example, by rotating a stacked transducer through a plurality of azimuth orientations. At least one of the first frequency and the second frequency can correspond to a resonant frequency of at least one tubular. The high frequency signal can have a frequency greater than 350 Hz; the low frequency envelope may have a frequency less than 100 Hz. The multi-tone acoustic beam may have a side beam field of dimensions substantially equal to that of the high frequency signal. As an example, acoustic waves corresponding to the generated multi-tone acoustic beam travel through multiple liners in the well hitting each interface, whose portions are reflected back and received by at least one acoustic receiver.

[0057] The cement evaluation may depend on the detection of the resonance frequency and the deterioration of the signal amplitude to assess the integrity of the adhesion. A multi-tubular system (for example, double coatings with different thicknesses) can have multiple resonance modes. The modes generally include modes that correspond to the resonances of each coating, resonances of the composite system and harmonic resonances. To maximize the energy penetration of the signal sensitivity, excitation of the coating resonance is usually necessary. The frequency selection can be performed depending on these resonance modes.

[0058] Mathematical models, look-up tables, or other models that represent the relationships between the signals and the values of the formation properties can be used to characterize operations in the formation or the formation itself, to optimize one or more operational parameters of a production or development, and so on. The system can perform these actions through notifications, warnings and / or intelligent control.

[0059] Figure 5 shows a flow chart 500 that illustrates methods for inspecting an oilfield infrastructure component in accordance with the modalities of the present disclosure. In optional step 510, an acoustic well profiling tool is transported in the piping installed in the well.

[0060] Step 520 comprises estimating an ideal value for at least one excitation parameter for an acoustic excitation source configured for the suppression of a component directly in a modified acoustic response signal. The at least one excitation parameter can include at least frequency. This step may include selecting appropriate frequencies in each of one or more acoustic sources to enable or facilitate suppression of the direct mode through processing (such as seismic techniques). Alternatively, estimating the ideal value for at least one excitation parameter can include estimating an acoustic signal centered on the cement. This can be accomplished by generating a predicted response from direct modeling of candidate parameters and selecting candidate parameters that produce predicted responses that directly suppress the component in a resulting modified response beep. The estimation of the excitation parameter can include the estimation of an ideal value for each of the at least one excitation parameter to produce a guided wave of multiple modes mixed in the tubular.

For example, the ideal signal can produce a guided wave in multiple modes mixed in the tubular adjacent to the cement to estimate the cement properties of an acoustic signal responsive to the interaction of the guided wave with the cement.

[0061] The estimation of the ideal value can be performed by calculating a guided wave dispersion ratio in a frequency domain for each of a plurality of simulated guided waves corresponding to a plurality of frequency values; modeling each one of the plurality of simulated guided waves, and the modeling comprises generating a waveform in the time domain for each one of the plurality of wave modes as a function of the source of acoustic excitation; and with the use of an excitation optimizer module to select at least one excitation parameter corresponding to an ideal simulated guided wave determined by applying waveform criteria to waveforms in the time domain. The simulated guided waves can correspond to a plurality of test values of the at least one excitation parameter.

[0062] Step 530 may include the generation of a guided wave in the component, such as, for example, a tubular (for example, coating) with the use of at least one ideal excitation parameter. The generation of the acoustic signal may include focusing the acoustic signal on the cement, generating an acoustic beam with multiple tones or similar. The signal can be adjusted iteratively based on the signal feedback to minimize contributions directly. Step 540 may include measuring at least one signal wave property with the profiling tool, such as, for example, amplitude, wave speed, group speed in different modes, and so on.

[0063] Step 550 may include the estimation of a parameter of interest (for example, a property) in relation to the installation of the coating using at least one wave property. Property estimation can be performed based on a late reflected wave field of the modified response tone. This modified response signal can be obtained by adjusting the acoustic response signal using seismic processing to directly suppress the component, as described above. The property can include one of i) a cement shear module; ii) a Young's modulus of cement; iii) compressive effort; iv) thickness; v) density of cement; vi) quality of adhesion, and so on. Step 560 comprises carrying out additional operations in the formation depending on the property. The method modalities may include the use of at least one processor to execute at least one of: i) store at least one property in a computer's memory; ii) transfer at least one property above the well; or iii) display at least one property to an operational engineer.

[0064] A direct model response can be established for the applicable coating survey tool used to obtain the measurements, such as, for example, based on an ideal structure previously defined from previous infrastructure knowledge. An inversion can be performed with the direct model response to establish geometry and thickness of well and liner, and variations in corrosion, cement density and so on. Cement property estimation can be performed by iterative solutions (for example, waveform correlation) that are inverted to improve cement properties, such as cement density.

[0065] Optional steps may include modeling a velocity attenuation response for each of the plurality of simulated guided waves, the sum of the waveforms in the estimated time domain to model each guided wave, and / or estimating a window of processing to calculate the acoustic wave information from waveform characteristics in the time domain for at least one of the plurality of wave modes. For example, the attenuation can be modeled from a time domain window amplitude ratio of the waveform to at least two of the plurality of wave modes. Other features may include speed, arrival time and other wave packet characteristics.

[0066] The methods may include the detection of coating resonances by means of acoustic excitation with the use of a frequency sweep or short-bandwidth pulse, for example, a transducer attached to a wall of the coating. A transmitter can be used to acoustically excite the volume of interest, and the infrastructure components of the well in it, at a plurality of frequencies. The components can include, for example, a plurality of conductive tubulars nested in the well. A spectrum of the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) of a signal returned in a receiver responsive to excitation can be generated. The FFT spectrum is compared (for example, correlated) with reference spectra determined from a range of known coating thicknesses and intermediate layers to identify a resonant frequency that corresponds to each of one or more of the components. The resonance frequencies of each coating layer can be identified from reference spectra modeled or measured under known conditions. The results of the FFT correlation between measured and template FFT spectra, and these results from other FFT attributes (amplitude, phase and group delay around the resonance frequency) can be used to identify the coating resonance of each layer. coating and estimate excitation signals that produce multiple resonances - that is, the resonance in each of a plurality of tubulars or other cylindrical volumes under investigation.

[0067] The FFT spectrum can be determined from theoretical models or measured in a laboratory environment with known coating thicknesses and coupling materials behind each coating (ie, internal and external coatings with good adhesion, internal coating with good adhesion and poorly adherent external coatings, liquid or gas behind the coating, etc. The thickness of the coating is sensitive to its resonance frequency and can therefore be estimated based on known correlations, as described above. The adhesion of the cement and the material behind the coating are sensitive to the FFT amplitude in the resonance, as well as the phase and group delay around the resonance, so, for example, a deviation in the resonance frequency can be used to detect a change in the thickness of the wall.

[0068] The above method using frequency sweep or broadband beam with short pulses can help detect the resonance frequency for each coating layer. The use of the multi-tone acoustic beam above, with narrow band bursts at the resonance frequency of the coating layer, can be used to maximize signal transmission to the coating layer. The correlation of the measured and feedback FFT spectra is advantageous over time domain correlation, as it preserves the resonances of individual coatings. The phase and group delay responses are also more sensitive to the charge material behind (and coupled behind) the coating.

[0069] Optional methods may include the use of the parameter of interest to estimate a characteristic of a formation. The parameter estimate can include the use of a model. In some modalities, the model may include, but is not limited to, one or more of: (1) a mathematical equation, (ii) an algorithm, (iii) a deconvolution technique, and so on. Reference information accessible to the processor can also be used.

[0070] The modalities of the method may include carrying out additional operations in the formation of soil depending on the formation information, the estimated properties of the reflector (s) or through models created with the use of these. Additional operations may include at least one of: i) geological guidance; ii) drilling additional wells in the formation; iii) carry out additional measurements on the coating and / or formation; iv) estimate additional parameters of the coating and / or formation; v) install equipment in the well; vi) evaluate training; vii) optimize current or future development in training or similar training; viii) to optimize the current or future exploration in the formation or in a similar formation; ix) drill the well; and x) producing one or more hydrocarbons from the formation.

[0071] The estimated parameters of interest can be stored (registered) as information or visually shown on a display (for example, for an operational engineer). The parameters of interest can be transmitted before or after storage or display. For example, information can be transmitted to other downhole components or to the surface for storage, display, or further processing. The aspects of the present disclosure refer to the modeling of a volume of a soil formation using the parameter of estimated interest, such as, for example, by associating estimated parameter values with portions of the volume of interest to which they correspond , or by representing the limit and the formation in a global coordinate system. The soil formation model generated and maintained in certain aspects of the disclosure can be implemented as a representation of the soil formation stored as information. Information (for example, data) can be transmitted, stored on non-transitory machine-readable media, and rendered (for example, visually represented) on a display.

[0072] Processing of measurements by a processor can take place on the tool, on the surface, or at a remote location. Data acquisition can be controlled, at least in part, by electronic components. Implicit in the control and processing of data is the use of a computer program on a medium readable by an appropriate non-transitory machine that allows processors to perform control and processing. Non-transitory machine-readable media can include ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memories and optical discs. The term "processor" is intended to include devices such as a field programmable port array (FPGA).

[0073] The term "transport device", as used above, means any device, device component, combination of devices, means and / or member that can be used to transport, house, support or otherwise facilitate the use of another device, device component, combination of devices, means and / or member. Non-limiting, non-limiting transport devices include drill coils of the spiral-wound tube type, of the joined tubing type and any combination or portion thereof. Other examples of conveying devices include casing tubes, steel cables, steel cable probes, cable profiling probes, explosive charges for launch, downhole subs, BHAs, drill string inserts, modules, internal cabinets and substrate portions thereof, and self-propelled tractors. As used above, the term "sub" refers to any structure that is configured to partially enclose, completely enclose, house, or support a device. The term "information", for use above, includes any form of information (analog, digital, EM, printed, etc.). The term "processor" or "information processing device" in the present invention includes, but is not limited to, any device that transmits, receives, manipulates, converts, calculates, modulates, transposes, transports, stores or otherwise uses information . An information processing device can include a microprocessor, resident memory, and peripherals to execute programmed instructions. The processor can execute instructions stored in computer memory accessible to the processor, or it can employ logic implemented as a field programmable port array (FPGAs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), other combinatorial or sequential logic hardware, and so on. In this way, a processor can be configured to execute one or more of the methods described here, and the processor configuration can include operational connection with resident memory and peripherals to execute programmed instructions.

[0074] The term "cement", as used here, refers to a manipulated bonding material, such as concrete, configured for application in order to adhere a tubular to the formation or to another structure, and should not be confused with cements of natural fracture filling. Such cements are naturally occurring and often associated with a fracture fluid event and occur as early diagenetic / precipitated cements that are associated with the original fluid composition of the fluid system stress event. Depending on the fluid chemistry of the fluid event in a specific sedimentary unit (for example, carbonate, siliclastic), these fracture fills can be types of simple mineral cement fill, such as calcite.

[0075] In some modalities, the estimation of the parameter of interest may involve the application of a model. The model can include, but is not limited to, (i) a mathematical equation, (ii) an algorithm, (iii) a database of associated parameters, or a combination of them.

[0076] The control of device components and systems described in the present invention can be performed using one or more models as described above. For example, at least one processor can be configured to modify operations |) autonomously under trigger conditions, ii) in response to operator commands, or iii) combinations thereof. Such modifications may include changing drilling parameters, driving the drill bit (for example, geological targeting), changing a mud program, optimizing measurements, and so on. The control of these devices, and of the various processes of the drilling system, can generally be carried out in a completely automated way or through interaction with personnel through notifications, graphical representations, user interfaces and the like. Reference information accessible to the processor can also be used.

[0077] The processing of measurements made in wire rope or MWOD applications can be done by a surface processor, by a downhole processor, or at a remote location. Data acquisition can be controlled, at least in part, by downhole electronic components. Implicit in the control and processing of data is the use of a computer program on a medium readable by an appropriate non-transitory machine that allows processors to perform control and processing. Non-transitory machine-readable media can include ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memories and optical discs. The term "processor" is intended to include devices such as a field programmable port array (FPGA).

[0078] A late reflected wave field can be defined as a reflected wave field with an arrival substantially after a predominant wave field. For example, flexural waves are generated that typically can reflect and provide readings of up to about 2 to 4 feet in the formation. The waves that are radiated in the opposite direction to the well and move further into the formation are called propagation waves, which can be reflected back to the well and are detected as delayed and weak signals in relation to the reflected flexural wave signals.

[0079] Although the aforementioned disclosure is directed to the modalities of a disclosure mode, several modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art. It is intended that all variations are covered by the aforementioned disclosure.

Claims (8)

1. Method for evaluating a soil formation intersected by a well characterized by comprising: estimating a cement property that surrounds a tubular in the soil formation by means of: generating an acoustic signal with a profiling tool in the well; estimation of the property as a function of a late reflected wave field of a modified acoustic signal, and the modified acoustic signal is produced by the suppression of a component in a direct way. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises: receiving an acoustic response signal indicative of the property; and generating the modified acoustic response signal by adjusting the acoustic response signal using seismic processing to directly suppress the component. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the generation of the acoustic signal comprises the generation of an acoustic signal centered in the cement generating waveforms configured to directly suppress the component in a resulting modified response acoustic signal . Method according to claim 3, characterized in that the generation of the acoustic signal comprises the estimation of an ideal value for at least one excitation parameter so that an acoustic excitation source produces a guided wave in multiple modes mixed in a tubular . Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the generation of the acoustic signal comprises focusing the acoustic signal on the cement. 6. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the generation of the acoustic signal comprises the generation of an acoustic beam with multiple tones. Method according to claim 4, characterized in that the tubular is one of a plurality of nested tubulars. Method according to claim 7, characterized in that the plurality comprises a second tubular closer to a tool in the well that generates the acoustic signal than the tubular.